Ever noticed how saying ‘Hollywood’ instantly means the entire film industry? Or when the ‘White House’ stands in for the U.S. government? Well, that’s ‘metonimia’ (Spanish for ‘metonymy’). It is when a term (like ‘Hollywood’ or ‘White House’) replaces a closely related word.
Keep reading to learn more about how you can use “metonymy” in writing and speech.
Related:
What Is Metonimia or Metonymy?
You’ve likely heard of the phrase, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” Or maybe you’ve watched a movie with a royal family where someone says “the crown” has made a decision.
In these scenarios, “pen” doesn’t literally mean a pen, and “crown” isn’t a headpiece. Instead, “pen” represents words, and “crown” represents the king or queen.
That’s metonymy or metonimia. It is when you swap a word for something closely associated with it rather than using a direct synonym or comparison.
Expert tip: Don’t confuse metonymy with metaphor. The latter compares two unrelated things by implying a shared characteristic. In the case of metonymy, as we’ve mentioned before, there is a close relationship.
Examples of Metonymy
- “Hollywood is obsessed with superhero movies.”
- “The stage applauded the actor’s performance.”
- “The bench will announce its ruling soon.”
- “The suits upstairs made the decision.”
- “The White House issued a statement.”
What Are the Types of Metonymy?
You’ll come across two types of metonymy —synecdoche and metalpsis. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
Synecdoche
When a part of something represents the whole, or vice versa, that’s a synecdoche.
For example, “I got a new set of wheels.”
In this scenario, you are using a “set of wheels” to mean a new car. There is a direct relationship with what it represents (wheels = car). However, do keep in mind that it is not a symbolic relationship.
Metalepsis
One perfect example of metalepsis is this statement: “She’s writing her own destiny, one chapter at a time.”
Why? There are two different figures of speech, and one figurative meaning is replaced by another.
In our example, “writing her own destiny” is a figurative expression for shaping her future. Meanwhile, “one chapter at a time” refers to a metaphor for different phases in life (a book’s chapters represent the phases).
How About Polysemy?
What do words like “bank,” “bat,” and “well” all have in common? Each of these words can have several different meanings.
- “Bank” is a financial institution or the side of a river, but both are linked by the idea of a “place.”
- “Bat” could mean a flying mammal or sports equipment, but both relate to the idea of something used for motion.
- “Well” could refer to a hole for water or express health.
The concept of resources or conditions links the words’ different meanings, which makes them perfect examples of polysemy — words with multiple related meanings.
Expert tip: Homonyms (and its subsets —homographs and homophones) are words with different, unrelated meanings.
How to Use Metonymy?
You can use metonymy to replace one term with another in a sentence or conversation.
For example, if you want to ask someone if they need help, you might replace the word help with “hand.” Or, instead of the U.S. government, you can use ‘White House.’
What’s important is that the substitute word has a clear relationship with the term you are replacing it with.
Final Thoughts
Metonymy—or metonimia—is a replacement for one word with something else that is closely related. It is not a comparison like other figures of speech. Instead, metonymy is substitution based on association.
For instance, “the crown” for a king, “the bench” for judges, or “a helping hand” for assistance. So, pay attention to the conversations around you, and you’ll likely start noticing metonymy almost everywhere.
